Memory & Dream (Audio Cassette)

The story is a deceptively simple one of an artist who is going through a change in her life being forced to own her past and her power. But although the theme is one that is seen often, De Lint makes it real in a way that no one else can. He has a very good heart knowledge of the true pain of life and he presents it in a way that neither minimizes it nor romanticizes it. He does the same with his urban settings; this is not a clean or perfect world, and stories are just as likely to happen in an alley as in a mansion.

Because the settings and the characters are so real, it is easy to believe in the fantasy elements. De Lint's work often deals with the lives and experiences of artists, musicians, and storytellers. Their work is a kind of magic anyway; all De Lint does is make the magic more vivid. He really shows us how the world is a magical place, and when everyone else is saying real magic is dead that's a message I want to hear over and over again.

Through Rushkin, Isabelle learns that she has the ability to "bring across" creatures that she paints. These entities become actual flesh and blood beings with lives of their own. She falls in love with one of her own creations, an American Indian named John. This ability poses many complications for Isabelle and the people around her. She cannot quite believe that these creatures are real in the human sense. Rushkin, meanwhile, reveals ulterior motives for teaching Isabelle and is soon creating "numena" (the name given these creatures) of his own, which turn out to be evil counterparts to the ones Isabelle creates.
I think the real theme of Memory & Dream is the relationship between art and reality. Isabelle's best friend Katherine is a troubled writer, and she plays an important role in inspiring some of Isabelle's painting. So, the question arises, if a writer puts a character in a story, and an artists paints it, who is the creator? Or, is the answer, "neither," because these creations actually have an existence of their own in a kind of Platonic universe, waiting to be brought into our world by artists?

While these are fascinating questions, I don't want to give the impression that Memory & Dream is a purely intellectual or philosophical novel. It is primarily a very suspenseful story with engaging characters who live in a magical universe. I have read several of de Lint's books (this one twice), and he is one of my favorite contemporary fantasy authors.

I've read DeLint before and liked it, but this book hit me deeply on many levels. I cant tell you how many times tears came to my eyes with the characters' heartbreaks or smiles at their triumphs, no matter how small. It's fantasy, but the characters have so many layers and complex relationships, it couldn't be more real. I found nearly every protagonist in the book mirroring my own experiences at some point.

Urban contemporary fantasy is a genre very close to my heart and so far, I haven't some across better than this.